Were-born
by AvidREADERwriter
Summary: A woman and her were-born son come to Aspen Creek searching for answers.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Patricia Briggs

To be fair, the bus driver did warn me that the little town of Aspen Creek, Montana did not have a bus station. He even offered to take us to the closest town and initially, I had agreed. If he could get us as close as possible, then we would be grateful for it. But what I didn't realize was that the nearest town would be about 10 miles out. Still, it was closer than the 800 miles we had just traveled.

So with our backpacks on and the driver apologizing for the trouble, my little boy Nicolás and I exited the greyhound bus and began our trek down the road. Luckily for us, the weather was nice and sunny and the road deserted.

I looked over at Nico, the tips of his black hair blowing in the spring breeze. I knew he would get tired long after I did because of his genes. Thanks to some divine miracle, my child was born with certain abilities: heightened hearing and smelling, never-ending energy, and this incredible ability to shape shift into a wolf pup. But I'm not completely ignorant. I know my son is some type of werewolf. What I don't know is how it is possible. Which is the reason for this trip, some six or seven months in the making.

Werewolves aren't exactly an accepted species of our society yet. There is a lot of fear, segregation and prejudice concerning them. So my son's genes are not something I make a habit of informing people about. But I've done extensive research, and I've paid a lot of money to find out any information I can about werewolf genetics. And after years of searching, I've come up with one place to get answers: Aspen Creek, Montana.


	2. Chapter 2

If it hadn't been for the hand painted sign that read_**, **_**The Town of Aspen Creek**, I would have never guessed that _this_ was the place. At first glance, it looked like all there was to it was a gas station, a hotel, and a little school. But after the long journey, I didn't care what this town looked like. All I cared about was finding some food before we went searching for answers. So we made our way to the gas station and stocked up on some groceries. And for a remarkably small town, their gas station was well stocked. I was able to buy some things to make sandwiches and snacks that would last my little guy for the rest of the day atleast.

After thanking the gas station attendant, we made our way across the street to the only hotel in sight. As we entered the lobby, we were met by a wary looking women. She took in our shoes and clothes, dirtied by the 10 mile walk, and our stuffed backpacks.

"May I help you?" She finally broke the silence and asked.

"Yes," I replied. "We would like a room."

Without missing a beat, she quickly said, "I'm sorry we're all booked."

I looked at her in disbelief. "Please, we've been traveling for a week now."

"I'm sorry—" She began to say.

"Momma, does this mean we have to walk all the way back to the bus?"

I looked down at Nico, his green eyes looking up at me, and I could feel the exhaustion that I had been holding off at bay begin to sink in. Before I could think of a reply, the woman began talking again.

"And where are you from?" I looked up and realized that it wasn't me she was addressing her question to. It was Nicolás.

"Well first," he began in that self-certain voice that only five year olds have. "We took a train for a full day. Then we went on all kinds of buses until one dropped us off far, far away and made us walk the rest of the way here. But I liked walking. I got to pick up some new rocks. Wanna see?"

Before I could stop him, Nico had thrust his hand in his little pocket and pulled out a handful of pebbles and stood on his tipy toes and with an outstretched arm so the lady behind the counter could see.

I didn't know what to do first: try to convince the lady to give us a room, scold Nico for sneaking rocks in his pockets again, or fall down in exhaustion. But I didn't need to do either, because in the next moment, the lady was handing me a key for room 18 and asking me to write my name in the sign-in log.

"The room is 40 dollars a night and you can pay upon check out. The rooms are cleaned every other day, and if you need any more towels between then just come to the front desk and ask for them."

I looked down at the key in my hand and back up to the old lady. "Thank you," I managed to choke out.

The only indication that she had heard me was her stern reply, "Your room is down the hall to the right."

The room was sparse, with a bed, a bedisde table with a phone, a small bathroom, and an even smaller closet. My surroundings didn't bother me though. We had slept in far worse before.

"Hey," I said to my son. "Let's unpack first. Then you can take a bath while I make you something to eat. Sound like a plan?"

"Yep!" He answered, and as I went in to start the bath, he unzipped his backpack and started pulling out what little possessions he owned. He didn't have much, just a pair of pajamas, a pair of pants, three shirts, and a week's worth of underwear and socks. And at the bottom of his pack, his most valued possession: a white wolf stuffed animal. He slept with it every night and played with it almost every day.

My backpack wasn't any better. I had the same amount of clothing as Nico, in addition to a tube of mascara, chapstick, a bar of soap, a travel size bottle of shampoo that was running low, a tube of toothpaste and our toothbrushes, as well as a single vanilla scented candle and a lighter. I'd sold all my other possessions for anything I could get, including any jewelry that I may have owned at one point in my life.

While Nico was busy trying to carefully fold his few articles of clothing and placing them in the bedside table, I went into the bathroom and turned off the water.

"Whenever you're ready, buddy." I said as I reentered the room and took to hanging up my clothes in the closet. It didn't take long, so I took over for Nico so he could get into the bath while it was still warm.

When all our clothes were hung and folded, and our backpacks on the closet floor, I took the grocery bag and started dinner. It wasn't much, but it would have to do. I used half the loaf of bread to make peanut butter and jelly sandwhiches. I knew Nico would have no problem eating them all.

And true to form, the pajama clad five year old ate every bit of his dinner. Well, except for the crusts, which he always ate around. But that was okay, because I ate the crusts for him. And as a little treat for behaving so well on our trip, I let him eat four cookies with his gallon of milk.

Finally, after putting Nico to bed, I was able to jump in the shower and wash away the day's grime. I couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief. After months of planning and saving every cent I could, we had arrived at the only place where we could find answers. Hopefully.


	3. Chapter 3

Growing up, Eva Cruz didn't have much. Born the eldest child of five kids into a hard-working hispanic family, she was no stranger to tough times. And despite having to work weekends with her mother cleaning houses, Eva excelled at school and was awarded a four-year scholarship to the local university. And that chance was all she ever wanted, and it was all she ever worked for. Which was why getting pregnant her second semester of college wasn't what anyone expected.

Her parents couldn't have been more disappointed in her. And they didn't have a problem voicing their opinions on the matter. But Eva knew what she had to do. So she dropped out of college and began working two jobs, saving every cent she could to provide for her unborn child. By the time she went into labor, she had a small studio apartment and some basic necessities for bringing up a newborn. And her parents chose not to be there for the birth of their first grandchild.

Since then, Eva and Nicolás have been on their own. On a continual hunt for answers.

* * *

Which had brought us all the way to Aspen Creek. I wasn't exactly clear as to what answers we would find in such a tiny town in the middle of nowhere, but I was willing to do some investigating. And it turned out that the little school had a library attached to it, which I lost no time in scouring the shelves for werewolf titles. It didn't take long, the library wasn't all that big. But there were about five titles that I had never come across before which looked as if they could be some help. Four hours later, and three books down, I could tell that Nicolás needed to get out of the cooped up library. So with a quick sweep, I had deposited the remaining two library books into my backpack and led my son out the front door.

I knew he needed to run around for a while and recognized how patient he had been all day. So we walked into the surrounding woods for a bit until we reached an expansive field. The grass was tall and lush and would be a perfect spot for Nicolás to run around. So setting their backpacks down, I looked to my small son, who was practically jumping with excitement.

"Can we run around now, momma?" He asked impatiently, his jumping turning into a little jig-like dance.

I couldn't help but laugh, "Yes. Go for it."

"Yes!" He shouted as he began kicking off his shoes and socks. I turned around as he undressed and prepared to Change to Wolfie.

"You okay back there?" I asked and turned around when I heard his little wolf yip. "Hey pup!" I said as I bent down to his level. His fur was mostly white with a splattering of grey collected on his back running all the way down his nose. His eyes were always a bright blue as a wolf. It wasn't very often that it was safe enough for Wolfie to come out and play so it was always a welcome sight to see my son in his other form.

"Alright, you ready to play?" He bounced up and down and barked in answer. "Let's see, how about Hide-N-Seek? I'll count to twenty and you go hide. Ready? Okay! On the count of—"

I hadn't even gotten to close my eyes and begin counting when I noticed something move to the far right of us. If there hadn't been so much green around, I probably wouldn't even had caught the movement. But when something is large and winter white against the dark green foliage and moving towards you and your son, you take notice.

A split second later, Wolfie had taken notice of the other too. And before I could react, Wolfie advanced a couple of feet in front of me, little growls erupting from his throat. The large, white werewolf stopped abruptly, maybe as shocked as I was to hear such a noise come from one so small. But the werewolf only stopped for briefly before he began approaching us again.

I knew I had to do something. From what I'd read about werewolf kind, the hunt excites them. Which meant that quickly running away was out of the question. But what else was I to do? We couldn't just stay there. Taking in a deep breath, I slowly walked forward until I was bent down next to Wolfie. The other couldn't have been more than 40 yards in front of us.

"Wolfie," I whispered to my son. A flick of the ear told me he was listening, even though his gaze never wavered from the white werewolf. "I'm going to pick you up and we're going to very slowly walk out of here."

He gave a small whine, but this was not a negotiation. This was life or death. And my son was not about to die here. "One, two, three." I said, and I was scooping him up in my arms and backing up towards the little town.

The other werewolf followed us, but kept about 40 yards between us. I didn't know if he would suddenly lunge forward and start chasing us, but if that happened I knew we didn't stand a chance. It was the most tense walk backwards I have ever experienced. But I didn't want to chance us looking away and him charging us with our backs turned.

Only when we reached the outskirts of town did I chance running to our hotel. And I had to be quick, because I didn't want to know what would happen if someone spotted a woman carrying a wolf pup in her arms. I didn't even chance catching my breath until we were safe in our room. The other wolf hadn't followed us out of the woods. Thank God.

But my son was another matter. He was shaking and howling and I had never seen him so agitated before.

"Honey," I said, stroking his back in an attempt to calm him down. "Can you change back?"

His whines told me no. "Shh...you're okay." I said as I brought him into the bathroom. I ran the bathtub with warm water and slowly settled him in. Warm baths and lullabies usually helped calm my son in human form, and I was hoping that it would work now.

I began humming first. Just a low little melody that my mother used to sing to me as a child. Slowly, little Wolfie's ears perked up, catching on to the sound.

Sleep, baby, sleep  
Your father tends the sheep  
Your mother shakes the dreamland tree  
And from it fall sweet dreams for thee  
Sleep, baby, sleep  
Sleep, baby, sleep

Little Wolfie's whines grew quiet. His whole attention was on the sound of my voice. I turned off the running water and picked up Wolfie, carefully wrapping him in a towel. I placed him on the bed, still singing while I lit my trusty candle, it's vanilla scents wafting through the room.

Sleep, baby, sleep  
Our cottage vale is deep  
The little lamb is on the green  
With snowy fleece so soft and clean  
Sleep, baby, sleep  
Sleep, baby, sleep

I laid down next to Wolfie, and he snuggled closer. His shaking had all but ceased and his eyes were growing heavy. He'd had a very stressful day. Only when his breathing evened out, did Nicolás change back.


	4. Chapter 4

We were leaving Aspen Creek. Yesterday's confrontation with the large, white werewolf had scared me more than I'd let Nicolás know. Sure, I'd researched all about werewolves – but never had I seen one who wasn't my little son. And even though the Other didn't hurt us, I got the message loud and clear as he followed us out of the field: we were being watched.

And having some werewolf watching our every move was the last thing I wanted. So I woke up Nicolás early, and stuffed all our stuff in his backpack, having left mine back in the field during our hasty retreat. Oh well, it had to be done.

As we paid for our stay, the same woman who gave us the room suggested we grab a bite to eat before our trip back. Nicolás definitely needed to eat, so I figured a quick stop wouldn't hurt. She directed us to a tiny hole-in-the-wall diner just down the street. The doorbell jingled above as we entered. The diner was small but homey, with bright orange booth seats and warm brown table tops. There were a couple of patrons scattered at other tables, with a waitress pouring a cup of coffee for one.

"Sit anywhere, hun," she said, not once looking up from her task.

Nicolás picked out a booth and I took a seat opposite him as he played with his stuffed animal. It didn't pass my notice that Nicolás sniffled twice.

"Hey," I said, getting his attention. "You okay?"

He nodded but kept sniffling. "It's my nose. It itches."

"Like you're going to sneeze?" I asked, already grabbing a napkin from underneath my utensils.

He shook his head no, and I desperately hoped he wasn't getting sick. Even though I'd never once seen him ill it would be horrible timing for his first bout of sickness to occur when we were in the middle of nowhere.

"Now what can I—Oh, hello!" Said the waitress as she approached our table at took a look at Nicolás and I.

I must have looked confused because in the next second she quickly composed herself. "I'm sorry, we don't get very many new faces in here." She explained. "What can I get for you?"

I looked over at Nico who was still sniffling and looking up at the waitress as if trying to figure her out. She was tall and beautiful and looked like something out of a runway magazine. Definitely not like anyone Nicolás had ever seen.

"You smell funny," he said abruptly.

Shocked at my son's lack of manners, I quickly looked to the waitress and sputtered out my apologies. "Please forgive us, I don't know what's gotten into him. Nico, please apologize."

The waitress laughed as if it didn't faze her, and maybe it didn't. "Oh that's alright. It must be this new perfume I'm trying out. Guess I'll have to throw that one out once I get home."

"Oh, no I'm sure you don't have to do that. Really."

She let out a full hearty laugh, and flipped her gold highlighted brown hair. "No harm done."

"You're sure?"

"Absolutely!" She said as she turned her attention back to Nicolás. "Now how about I get you a big stack of smiley faced pancakes and a side of sausage links. Would you like that?"

Nicolás nodded.

"And for you hun?" She asked.

"Oh, I'll just have the same please."

Once the waitress left to put our orders in, I bent forward to whisper to my son. "Nico, we do not tell people they smell funny. That is very rude. You're going to have to apologize to her yourself before we leave. Okay?"

"Yes, mama." He said, as he turned back to play with his stuffed animal. At least he'd finally stopped sniffling.

With Nicolás occupied, I needed to come up with a new plan. All the money I had saved to get us here was now dangerously low, and we weren't any closer to finding answers. Even the library books I had taken were still in the field tucked away in my backpack. Maybe I could get a map at the gas station before leaving and figure out where we should go next. Wherever it be, I needed to earn some cash.

As I tried coming up with easy jobs I should look for in the next town, the door bell jingled, signaling a new patron. All the jobs I could come up with were extremely limited. There were only so many vacancies for a single mother who could bring her kid along with her to work.

Food was set down before us, but I hardly noticed it. I needed to find work fast and come up with a plan. Suddenly, I was brought out of my reverie by Nicolás' rapid sneezing. It was only then I realized that the guy who had served our food was still standing there. Had he asked a question that I didn't hear?

Nicolás kept sneezing.

Quickly grabbing another napkin and handing it to Nicolás, I turned to the server. He had sandy brown hair and looked to be around my age. He looked away from Nicolás and to me.

"We're fine here, thanks," I said, excusing the server.

"You look a little young to have a son," the man observed cooly.

"Excuse me?" I said, not entirely sure if he was trying to give me a compliment or not. Nicolás' sneezing fit was dying down.

The man took in a deep inhale. "He smells like he's your son."

Eyes widened and my back ramrod straight, my gaze snapped back to the man and his bright yellow eyes.

Werewolf.

"Your son shouldn't be alive." The werewolf said in a low, gravelly voice. "What have you done."

Ice flooded my veins, and I felt rooted to the spot. "N-nothing. I-I," was all I could stammer out before he cut me off.

"Your son is a werewolf!" The man spit out, and fear stilled my tongue.

It was only then I noticed how quiet everything around us was. I didn't dare look away from this man's gaze for fear that he would turn his attention to my son. But it seemed that my gaze only made the werewolf angrier. His breathing was labored, as if each breath caused him pain. His body was tense, as if wanting to strike out at us or in an attempt to refrain from doing just that. Either way, this man was beyond dangerous and I needed to get Nicolás out of here.

"That was you in the field," I said, trying to gain control of the situation by making some sense of it.

"No," he growled. "It was one of my wolves."

_One_ of his wolves? How many more werewolves were there in Aspen Creek? I finally took a chance to glance at the other patrons and could see them staring at the exchange, eyes just as bright as the werewolf in front of me.

"Make no mistake, if it had been me in that field, I would have killed you right then." He said. And I knew he was telling the truth. This man was more than capable of killing me.

A low growl emitted from across the table, and I snapped my gaze to see Nico – no, Wolfie's blue eyes- staring at the werewolf in front of us. The Other looked at my son and growled, and Wolfie whined and physically shrank back but would not release his gaze. I had to do something fast.

"Please," I begged. "Don't hurt my son."

"You've hurt him far worse than I ever could," the Other exploded.

"No!"

"Yes! You've put this on a child—"

"Please!" I tried to interject.

"-and for that you must be punished—"

"He was _born_ this way!" I finally burst out.

The Other abruptly stopped his tirade and looked at me.

"I'm telling the truth." I whispered.

The werewolf took a deep inhale and looked to my son for a long moment. Finally, he shut his eyes as he let out a deep breath. His shoulders slouched forward and his right hand came up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

After another tense moment passed, he returned his now hazel gaze to me and said, "Tell me everything."


End file.
